I was able to get a little more work done this weekend in between bursts of rain and wind. I left the bus last weekend with an ill-fitting carburetor, and a starter that sounded like it had died. I tried starting it up mid-week, and noticed that it wouldn’t run at all, and after a couple turns of the key, the starter stopped turning over. I also noticed a slight burning smell coming from the ignition with – not good!! Thankfully, I had just bought a bunch of VW parts from a local craigslist add – they ended up being all ’60’s Beetle parts, but the ignition switch is ’67 and might just work for the bus!
However, when I went to start the bus today, I didn’t have any issues. In fact, the thing starts with the slightest bump of the key, and runs beautifully! I guess the bus is in a good mood today! I ended up not replacing the ignition switch, but I’ve got it if I need it. Instead, I pulled the carb and manifold off the engine… again… to try and fit the thing on there so that it isn’t leaking air. I’m getting pretty good at this by now, but its still a big pain. Ok, manifold filed down flat (I still think its crazy that it came so jacked up), carb bolted on tight, everything put back together.
I also noticed that the choke wire leading to the carb was burnt crispy – not good! I replaced the wire, and will check it frequently to see if it happens again – I’m thinking its connected to my ignition switch issues.
Start the bus, it runs… but its still just not that great. I still have some kind of air leak at the base of the carb – I spray the carb cleaner, and the engine changes speed. It idles slow and gets rougher as the engine warms. It lasts longer than the old carb/manifold, but after about 10 minutes or so, the engine finally dies if left to idle. Once it dies, it is impossible to start. I’ve heard about this problem – some call it heatsoak. Basically, everything heats up to the point where either the electrical connectors aren’t working, or the engine is vapor-locked. I also think somehow that the engine could be flooding. So I suppose this is progress, its improved to a point where I could drive it around for a while, so I’ll be taking it out for some more parking lot circles in just a bit!
